Fukushima: Cover up a human rights violation

Report criticizes government cover up that put human life, health and dignity at risk, a major human rights violation

The Japanese government initially withheld computer projections on the amount of radioactive material released after the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe and ongoing human rights violation began, claiming that releasing that data “would cause unnecessary panic,” according to an interim report covered by the Daily Yomiri on December 30. Nuclear watchdogs have attempted to get vital information to the public about the unprecedented high risk of radiation poisoning, the latest being Erin Brokovitch.

The Daily Yomiri reported on December 30 that “the government initially withheld SPEEDI’s projections after the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted, claiming that releasing the data ‘would cause unnecessary panic.’”

In a scathing point made in the interim report by the government panel investigating the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant says each organization involved in this process, lacked awareness of their responsibility.

The interim report is “scathing” on this point, saying that residents near the plant were “getting mixed messages” from the government about evacuation.

“The decision to issue evacuation instructions to residents living near the stricken nuclear plant was made by a handful of staffers at the Prime Minister’s Office. This would normally have been the responsibility of local government headquarters in the area, but local authorities were not functioning in the hours after the disaster struck.

The report urges these organizations to improve how the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) is operated to better protect residents’ lives and their dignity. (Emphsis added)

“Part of the reason for keeping the data under wraps lay with the disconnect over whether responsibility for SPEEDI operations rested with the ministry or the commission,” reported the Daily Yomiri.

“Moreover, the central government and the Fukushima prefectural government differed over the amount of radiation exposure that should be the standard for determining which residents should undergo radiation screening.

Nuclear Watchdogs continue alerting public about Fukushima and U.S. radiation poisoning violating human right to health care

“The safety commission did not properly resolve this ‘double standard,’” according to the Fukushima catastrophe interim report.

Recognizing the government and nuclear energy industry putting lives at risk, nuclear watchdogs have worked to raise public awareness.

The most recent to advocate for human rights of Americans exposed to Fukushima hot particles and radiation from U.S. nuclear energy plants is Erin Brockovitch.

CNN interviewed famous environmentalist Erin Brockovich (pictured, left) about her new novel, Hot Water, about health risks of radioactivity leaks into the environment from nuclear power plants across the U.S.

A major watchdog group, Beyond Nuclear, has long warned it is “not just accidental (“unmonitored, uncontrolled”) leaks of hazardous radioactivity, but also “routine releases” (supposedly “controlled and monitored”) allowed and permitted by government regulators as a daily part of atomic reactors’ operations, that need to stopped.”

Children are significantly more vulnerable to radiation’s hazards, as revealed by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research’s “Healthy from the Start” campaign.